Scaffold-Free Three Dimensional Nerve Fibroblast Constructs
AssigneeThe Regents of the University of Michigan
InventorsLisa M. Larkin, Ellen M. Arruda, Jennifer Baltich, Aaron Adams, Leah Hatch-Vallier
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Abstract
The invention relates to scaffold-free three dimensional nerve fibroblast constructs and method of generating the nerve fibroblast constructs. The invention also relates to methods or repairing nerve transection and replacing damaged nerve tissue using the nerve fibroblast constructs of the invention.
Claims31
A method of generating a scaffold-free, three-dimensional nerve fibroblast construct comprising the step of:
- growing nerve cells on a static and confluent monolayer of fibroblasts without an exogenous scaffold and under conditions that induce the monolayer of fibroblasts to contract to generate a co-culture of fibroblast and nerve cells, the conditions further inducing the fibroblasts to contract and surround the nerve cells to generate a three-dimensional nerve fibroblast construct.
A self-organizing, scaffold-free, three-dimensional nerve fibroblast construct comprising nerve cells surrounded by an external monolayer of fibroblasts.
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A three-dimensional co-culture comprising nerve cells and an external monolayer of fibroblasts, wherein the fibroblasts are contracted and surround the nerve cells.
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A system for forming a three-dimensional nerve fibroblast construct comprising:
- a confluent monolayer of fibroblasts provided on a substrate without an exogenous scaffold, the fibroblasts existing in a static state;
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- nerve cells on the monolayer of fibroblasts, the nerve cells grown under conditions that induce the monolayer of fibroblasts to contract and surround the nerve cells.
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A self-organizing, scaffold-free, three-dimensional nerve fibroblast construct comprising nerve cells surrounded by an external monolayer of fibroblasts for use in repairing a nerve transaction or replacing damaged tissue.
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Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.